Leopard Cat Lineage ~ Prionailurus Genus & Otocolobus Genus

The 6 Cats of the Leopard Cat Lineage

The Leopard Cat lineage consists of six Asian wild cats - five of the Prionailurus genus, some of which occupy wetland habitats and one cat of the Otocolobus genus which occurs in Central Asia.

The Leopard Cat lineage is the second 'youngest' lineage that arose around 6.2 MYA (million years ago) from ancestors that crossed back to Asia from North America during the second ice age, and the resulting species mainly occupy Southern and Central Asia.

Going back further in Felidae evolution, this line descended from ancestors that migrated to North America from Asia following the first ice age 8 to 10 MYA, when the Bering Strait land bridge linked Asia and North America.

Leopard Cat Lineage Cats - Classification

In scientific classification (taxonomy) the small Asian wild cats of the Leopard Cat lineage belong to the cat family Felidae and the small cat subfamily Felinae. The higher and lower classifications of this group are as follows:

Kingdom: Animalia   (animals)

Phylum: Chordata   (vertebrates)

Class: Mammalia   (mammals)

Order: Carnivora   (carnivores)

Suborder: Feliformia   (cat-like)

Family: Felidae (cats)

Subfamily: Felinae (small cats)

Genus: Prionailurus

Species: Prionailurus viverrinus (Fishing Cat)

Species: Prionailurus bengalensis (Mainland Leopard Cat)

Species: Prionailurus javanensis (Sunda Leopard Cat)

Species: Prionailurus planiceps (Flat-headed Cat)

Species: Prionailurus rubiginosus (Rusty-spotted Cat)

Genus: Otocolobus

Species: Otocolobus manul (Pallas’s Cat)

Other small Asian wild cats are grouped under the Felis lineage and the Bay Cat lineage and the big Asian cats under the Panthera lineage.